RESOLUTION TO ADD A MASTER OF EDUCATION IN MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION

WHEREAS, over the last twenty-five years, there has been a call nationally for specialized training of teachers for students in the middle grades to deal effectively with the social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth of young adolescents; and

WHEREAS, in South Carolina, there is a need for teachers to be provided the opportunity to develop more comprehensive knowledge and performances required for excellence in teaching the early adolescent learner; and

WHEREAS, representatives from the State Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Education Improvement Act Select Committee, the South Carolina Middle School Association, the South Carolina Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative, and practitioners from Winthrop University’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education have all collaborated to develop a Master of Education program in Middle Level Education; and

WHEREAS, there is no similar program in the State of South Carolina to address this need; and

WHEREAS, the proposed M.Ed. in Middle Level Education has been structured to meet national standards of accreditation and the resources to offer the program are already in place at Winthrop University;

THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED that Winthrop University Board of Trustees does hereby authorize the addition of the Master of Education degree in Middle Level Education to the curriculum.